HEZBOLLAH HAS ITS OWN TUNNELS. THEY ARE MORE COMPLEX AND DANGEROUS THAN THOSE IN GAZA.
For more than 30 years, Hezbollah has dug hundreds of kilometers of tunnels in southern Lebanon. Some of these tunnels are 40 to 80 meters deep and were developed using North Korean technology. This report highlights the growing threat to Israel’s northern border from the Iranian-controlled Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The Hezbollah threat
Hezbollah is a much more dangerous adversary than Hamas, for several different reasons. One reason is that Hezbollah’s tunnel network in southern Lebanon is much more complex than that of Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
This week, the Libération newspaper published a report describing some of the details behind the issue. The report includes an assessment that the tunnels are so extensive that their explosion could cause an earthquake and possibly landslides. This could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe, which Hezbollah will no doubt use to its advantage, just as Hamas has used the suffering of the Gazans for propaganda purposes against Israel.
Tunnel Quality
Unlike the sandy soil in Gaza, the terrain of southern Lebanon makes the work slower and more difficult. Hamas dug its tunnels into the loose, sandy soil and then reinforced them with concrete. The newspaper refers to the Israeli research institute Alma, which reported that the tunnels of Hezbollah are located at a depth of 40-80 meters underground. The group also developed a defense plan in case of an Israeli invasion and built dozens of operational command centers in a network of tunnels connecting Beirut with southern Lebanon. Some tunnels also hide launch pads for Iran’s Fateh-110 short-range ballistic missiles with a range of 200-300 km and a weight of 650 kg. In a report published in June 2023, Alma also mentions the existence of mined diversion tunnels. Dug under strategic locations and sealed for years to come, these tunnels are filled with explosives. By blowing them up at the right moment, the enemy can destroy ground structures, cause landslides and rockfalls.
The report also says that tunnel digging began as early as the 1980s, but gained momentum in the late 1990s, when the possibility of an Israeli invasion arose. As a result of this method, 12 tunnel entrances were discovered using land mines, which, by the way, are completely legal under international law.
Israel’s readiness
The Israeli army uses motion sensors, fiber-optic cables connected to the 4G network, robot drones, and information sources to map the tunnel network. Based on this, the length of the tunnels is estimated at hundreds of kilometers, and the length of one of the largest-45 kilometers.
A report published this year by the Alma Think Tank reveals tunnels full of explosive materials buried under strategic targets and unused for several years. If these explosives detonate, they could cause an earthquake or landslides. This tactic has been used by armies since the First World War.
Hezbollah is also seizing territories and converting them into zones and training grounds for reserve units, including weapons depots and possibly tunnel entrances. When Israel had a buffer zone in southern Lebanon from 1985 to 2000, it was possible to limit this activity. However, after the second Lebanon War in 2006, Hezbollah reorganized again and had another 18 years to organize the territory in its favor.
Preparation for the war in the north
The Israeli army is doing everything possible to be vigilant in the north, remaining on high alert. Over the past 24 hours, Israel has carried out an attack against terrorist infrastructure and a Palestinian figure affiliated with Hezbollah in the area of the village of Gadaya, which is close to the border with Israel. As a result of the attack, eight people received minor injuries.
Media in Lebanon reported additional Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions in cities adjacent to Israel.
